The Queen of Automation

The Queen of Automation

Share this post

The Queen of Automation
The Queen of Automation
The Automation Illusion: Why Zapier and Make Won’t Save Your Agency

The Automation Illusion: Why Zapier and Make Won’t Save Your Agency

No-code automation sounds like the dream, until you realize it’s an expensive, fragile mess. Smart agencies are using AI differently.

Meghan Donnelly's avatar
Meghan Donnelly
Apr 01, 2025
∙ Paid

Share this post

The Queen of Automation
The Queen of Automation
The Automation Illusion: Why Zapier and Make Won’t Save Your Agency
Share

The Setup: “Just Automate It” Isn’t a Strategy

A few years ago, I sat across from a client who was pumped about automation.

“We connected everything with Zapier,” they said. “It runs our entire business on autopilot.”

Fast forward six months: It was a disaster.

Zaps were breaking constantly.

Their automation bill was eating into profits.

They had no idea how half their workflows actually worked.

Turns out, no-code automation isn’t the magic bullet they thought it was. And for agencies that blindly stack Zapier, Make, and other automation tools? It can become a ticking time bomb.

The Hidden Costs of No-Code Automation

On the surface, tools like Zapier, Make, and Pabbly promise to:

Eliminate manual tasks

Connect apps effortlessly

Save time and money

And they do, until they don’t.

What most agencies don’t realize?

Costs scale FAST.

  • Moving large volumes of data? Your Zapier bill jumps from $19/month to $599/month real quick.

  • Need multi-step automation? You’ll burn through tasks faster than you think.

Break…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The Queen of Automation to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Meghan Donnelly
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share